Ash-sifter



NITED STATES ATENT Fries.

CHARLES R. MAGUIRE, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND.

ASH-SIFTER.

SPECIFICATIONforming part of Letters Patent No.366,492, dated July 12, 1887 Application filed December 2, lfifi. Serial No. 220,465. (No model-l To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, CHARLES R. MAGUIRE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Baltimore, in the State of Maryland, have in vented certain new and useful Improvements in Ash-Sifters,ofwhich the following is a specification.

My invention relates to certain improvements in ash-sifters of that class which have revolving drums, and is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is an elevation giving a part side and part sectional view. Fig. 2 is an end elevation of part of the ash-sifter. Fig. 3 is an end view of the drum, showing its lid open. Fig. 4is a perspective view ofone oftheboxes, showing the ash-funnel attached.

The ash-sitter comprises, besides the cylinder, three principal partsthe cylinder-supporting frame A, mounted on legs I), and the two boxes 0 0', one for the top and the other for the bottom. These three parts together form an inclosure for the cylinder.

The cylinder D may be made of woven wire or perforated sheet metal. At each end it has a head, a, while a shaft,f, extends longitudinally through the cylinder and both heads. At one end this shaft has a crank,f. The cylinder and shaft are supported in the frame A, and the shaft has bearings g in the ends of the frame, whereby the cylinder may be turned. The cylinder has a hinged lid, h, provided on its free meeting edge with a straight rod, 2', whose ends project beyond the heads 0; Each head has pivoted to it at k a hook, Z, which projects in such position as to engage with the projecting endof the said rod A spring, m, has one end fixed to the head 6, and the other end bears against the hook Z and keeps said hook pressed toward the rodt'. The effect of the spring, therefore, is to prevent the hook from accidentally disengaging from the rod, and thereby insures that thelid will not open while the cylinder is being turned. The legs I), on which the frame A is mounted, sustain the frame when it is not resting on the lower box, 0, as shown in Fig. 2. These legs also serve to adj ust the position of the lower box with respect to the frame A, so that the edges of the two will coincide or fit together.

the upper box. The upper box, 0, and lower box, 0, have the same shape and dimensions, and are intcrchangeable-that is, the one shown as on top of the frame maybe placed below it and the one shown below may be placed above.

The boxes have handles a, whereby they may be readily lifted. The combination of the frame Aand legs withthe cylinder and the interchangealile upper and lower boxes insures a tight inclosure when the sifting operation is going on, provides a receptacle for the ashes as they drop from the cylinder, and when the lower box, containing the ashes, is removed the upper box, which has served as a cover, may be placed below to receive the screened coals as they are dumped from the cylinder through its open lid.

The frame and the boxes may be square or round, and may be made of wood or metal.

One of the boxes is provided at one side with a hinged door, 0, the hinges being at p. The bottom 1 of the door is flush with the bottom q of the box. A funnel-shaped chute, It, has at its large end flanges s, and the large end fits snugly in the door-opening,while the said flanges take on or against the inner wall ofthe box,as shown in Fig. 4. Thus the funnelshaped chute is close] y connected with the box. It will be understood that the chute may be readily detached from the-box. One of the boxes is thus provided for the purpose of readily placing the mixed ashes and coal in the cylinder. This will be understood if we suppose the upper box to be removed from the frame A and the lid h of the cylinder to be open. If,now,the box has the funnel-shaped chute adjusted in position and contains the mixed ashes and coal which are to be sifted, the latter may be readily placed in the cylinder through the lid-opening. Vhen this has been done, the funnel-shaped chute It may be detached,the door O closed, and the box placed upside down as a cover on the frame A.

The door and funnel-shaped chute may be rigged at either side or end of the box.

One or both of the boxes may be provided with lids T, whereby when the box contains ashes the latter may be closely confined and The upper ends, I), of the legs in like manner adjust or regulate the position of guarded from the effects of wind. To adapt the box so that its edges u will properly fit on the upper or lower edges 12 of the frame A, a special mode of hinging the lids is employed, consisting of turning one edge of each lid into a tubular form, as at 10. The lid tlius takes position at one side of the box. A rod, x,passes through the tubular part, and at the ends of said tubular part both ends 00 of the rod are bent at a right angle and take position around the corner of the box, and said ends as are secured by a pivot-pin, y, to the box ends,while the lid T has position at the box side. The

,two lids being hinged in this manner'at opposite sides, both of them may be turned up and over the box, where their meeting edges 2 will unite or come together to close the box;

or each lid may be turned, as in Fig. 1, againstframe, A, mounted on legs'b, a revolnble cylinder,and two removable interchangeable boxes of the same shape and dimensions, one above and the other below the said frame, for the purpose set forth. 7

2. In an ash-Sifter, the combination of a frame, A, a revoluble cylinder in the said frame, two removable boxes, one above and the other below the said frame, one of said boxes having atone side a door, and a removable funnel-shaped chute for connection in the door-opening, for the purpose set forth.

3. In an ash-sifter, the combination'of a frame, A, a revoluble cylinder in the said frame, two removable boxes, one above and the other below the said frame, one of said boxes having two lids, each hinged at an opposite side, substantially as set forth,whereby the lids may serve to close the box, or each lid may be turned against the side 'of the box,

CHARLES R. MAGUIRE.

Witnesses:

JOHN E. MORRIS, J NO. T. MADDOX. 

